Being informed: Undergoing radiation therapy

dc.contributor.authorLong, L.
dc.date.issued2001
dc.description.abstractThis article aims to give insight into the experience of an intensive course of radiation therapy and relate the findings to the nurses working with individuals receiving radiation therapy. The purpose of this article is to describe and interpret the experiences of individuals undergoing radiation therapy in the cancer center of a large teaching hospital. The philosophic basis of this study was hermeneutic phenomenology and draws on the experiences described by 20 individuals undergoing radiation therapy through a series of unstructured interviews. The findings indicate that there are deficits in the care delivered in some radiation therapy departments. Information and preparation for radiation therapy are often inadequate or do not meet the needs of the individuals in this study. Participants continue to adopt a "sick" or "patient" role even though they attend treatments on an outpatient basis and are required to manage their own care, which results in a feeling of not being in control. Moreover, the coping styles of the participants vary and are not clearly identified and assisted by relevant health professionals. Care is not always well coordinated between the various health professionals, resulting in the patient receiving mixed or confusing messages about their treatments.
dc.identifier.citationCancer Nursing, 2001; 24(6):463-468
dc.identifier.doi10.1097/00002820-200112000-00007
dc.identifier.issn0162-220X
dc.identifier.issn1538-9804
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/14617
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherLippincott Williams & Wilkins
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1097/00002820-200112000-00007
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectNeoplasms
dc.subjectRadiotherapy
dc.subjectAdaptation, Psychological
dc.subjectInternal-External Control
dc.subjectProfessional-Patient Relations
dc.subjectFemale
dc.subjectMale
dc.subjectPatient Education as Topic
dc.titleBeing informed: Undergoing radiation therapy
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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